The sanctuary at Jackson Memorial Baptist Church was full of mourners clad in pink and white on Saturday afternoon as a community came together to say their final goodbyes to Bre’Asia Powell, a teen who was shot and killed last week.
The 16-year-old rising junior at Benjamin E. Mays High School was remembered by family and friends as a loving daughter, a star athlete who played basketball and volleyball and an outstanding student who wanted to become a coach and mentor so she could use her love for sports to transform the lives of young people.
Mourners, who wore shirts emblazoned with Bre’Asia’s pictures that said “Forever Our Superstar” and “Bre Forever,” were overcome with grief several times during the service. Young people made up nearly half of those who had come to remember Bre’Asia.
Before they closed Bre’Asia’s casket, her mother kissed her and told her she loved her and was proud of her. She fainted as the casket closed, leading several in the audience to break down in tears, some speaking in tongues and others needing medical assistance.
Latonya Brooks, who went to high school with Bre’Asia’s mother and whose daughter became friends with her when she was a young cheerleader with Bre’Asia at the recreation center in Adamsville, said Bre’Asia was always in high spirits and fun to be around.
“This is really hard because I’m a mother,” Brooks said. “I would have never expected something like this to happen to her. … I know it’s not my child. But when I look at her in that casket, it’s like I’m looking at my own daughter.”
Atlanta police responded at around 2:30 a.m. Sunday and found two teens had been shot outside her school, where an unauthorized gathering had taken place. The other shooting victim was taken to a hospital and was in stable condition.
Bre’Asia was expected to start working for the city of Atlanta this past week in its…
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